phobia

noun

pho·bia | \ˈfō-bē-ə

Definition of phobia

(Entry 1 of 2)

: an exaggerated usually inexplicable and illogical fear of a particular object, class of objects, or situation

-phobia

noun combining form

Definition of -phobia (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : exaggerated fear of acrophobia

2 : intolerance or aversion for photophobia

Examples of phobia in a Sentence

Noun

His fear of crowds eventually developed into a phobia.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

And people with bigger bodies face bigotry and fat-phobia on a daily basis: In doctor’s offices, in the workplace, walking down the street. — Carolyn Kylstra, SELF, "The Weight Issue: A Letter from the Editor," 25 June 2018 Failed startup Theranos targeted needle phobia to attract hundreds of millions of dollars in investment for needle-free blood-drawing technology. — Mike Feibus, USA TODAY, "Afraid of needles? These start-ups are working on alternatives," 8 July 2018 My phobia also seemed to go beyond just a fear of falling. — Ilana Strauss, SELF, "I Was Terrified of Falling, So I Tried Parkour," 9 July 2018 His clients use virtual reality to overcome phobias, including a fear of heights, anxiety issues, post-traumatic stress disorder, and drug, alcohol and smoking addictions. — Kate Thayer, chicagotribune.com, "Virtual reality can help people overcome fear of heights, study shows," 12 July 2018 Well, in all honesty, remember this is May of 2016 which is prior to Hillary raising Russo phobia. — Fox News, "Gorka: Suddenly the left care about minorities and children?," 21 June 2018 That behavior is typical for dogs with loud noise phobia. — Emily Dreyfuss, WIRED, "Do Thundershirts Really Calm Dogs During Fireworks or What?," 3 July 2018 By Kathryn Hughes Johns Hopkins, 414 pages, $29.95 Ms. Hughes’s discussion of what physical phobias and fetishes can tell us about Victorian society is brilliantly particular. — Elizabeth Lowry, WSJ, "‘Victorians Undone’ Review: Bodies in Question," 4 May 2018 Far more people have a fear of flying that doesn’t reach phobia levels, despite the fact that people are flying more than ever before and plenty of data shows it’s a reliably safe way to travel. — Jamie Ducharme, Time, "Why Some People Have a Crippling Fear of Flying — and How They Can Overcome It," 6 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'phobia.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for phobia

Noun

-phobia

Noun combining form

New Latin, from Late Latin, from Greek, from -phobos fearing, from phobos fear, flight, from phebesthai to flee; akin to Lithuanian bėgti to flee, Old Church Slavonic běžati

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Last Updated

6 Nov 2018

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Time Traveler for phobia

The first known use of phobia was in 1786

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More Definitions for phobia

phobia

noun

English Language Learners Definition of phobia

(Entry 1 of 2)

: an extremely strong dislike or fear of someone or something

-phobia

noun combining form

English Language Learners Definition of -phobia (Entry 2 of 2)

: an extremely strong dislike or fear of someone or something

See the full definition for -phobia in the English Language Learners Dictionary

phobia

noun

pho·bia | \ˈfō-bē-ə

Kids Definition of phobia

: an unreasonable, abnormal, and lasting fear of something

phobia

noun

pho·bia | \ˈfō-bē-ə

Medical Definition of phobia

: an exaggerated and often disabling fear usually inexplicable to the subject and having sometimes a logical but usually an illogical or symbolic object, class of objects, or situation — compare compulsion, obsession